Homemade Lemonade

August 2013

Makes 1.5 litres (2 and a half pints)

Ingredients

6 lemons (try and get unwaxed or organic, trust me it’s worth it)

4ozs of granulated sugar

Method

Zest the lemons with a grater into a large bowl, doing your best to avoid the white pith because that will make the finished product bitter. Zesting the lemons straight into the bowl you intend to make the lemonade in will make sure you don’t lose too many of the delicious natural oils in the lemons.
Pour 1.5 litres (2 and a half pints) of boiling water over the lemon zest and add the sugar.
After the zest mixture has cooled slightly, add the juice of all the lemons.
Cover the mixture and leave to steep in the fridge overnight.
Give it a taste and add more sugar if you deem it necessary. Strain and store in clean bottles. It will keep in the fridge for at least a week.
This lemonade can either be served neat or diluted with still or sparkling water, have a taste and see what you prefer. I like mine in a 50:50 dilution with sparkling water with ice and a sprig of zingy lime basil. Lovely.

7th August 201329th September 2018

Rhubarb and Lemon muffins with Cinnamon Crumble topping

Ingredients

For the Muffin mixture

175g light muscovado sugar

175g rhubarb, diced into half centimetre cubes

zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

125mls of milk

200g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For the crumble topping

50g muscovado sugar

50g cool butter

50g porridge oats

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C and place 9 muffin cases in a muffin pan ready for your mixture.
Place the crumble ingredients in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers; you can use a food processor for this but that can result in a finer texture and some of your oats may suffer for it.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, rhubarb, lemon, oil, egg, vanilla and milk.
Sift on the flour and raising agents. Stir the mixture 10 times. You will get gloriously light muffins as an end result but currently the mixture will look horrifying – probably with a few patches of flour remaining un-combined – Don’t Panic!
Spoon your mixture into the muffin cases (around a tablespoon in each) and sprinkle on your crumble topping.
Bake for 15 minutes until bouncy to the touch.

7th August 201329th September 2018

Lemony prawn risotto with spring vegetables and rocket

Serves 2

This is a beautifully summery dish perfect for alfresco dining with a nice cool glass of white wine.

Ingredients

Half an onion
3 cloves of garlic
Olive oil for frying
300g Arborio risotto rice
A bunch of spring onions (around 125g)
A generous glass of white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works wonderfully)
1 pint of vegetable stock
Half a teaspoon of chilli powder
1 lemon (zest and juice)
225g best quality raw tiger prawns
A small handful of peas, fresh if you can get them
A small handful of spinach
A generous handful of parmesan cheese (plus an extra sprinkling for serving)
A small knob of butter
A small handful of rocket

Method

Finely chop your half onion and garlic and sweat it gently in a large heavy based pan with a little olive oil.
When the onion is beginning to become soft and translucent add your rice and sliced spring onions and turns up the heat slightly.
Now it’s time to add the wine, from this point onwards you will need to keep a sharp eye on your risotto and stir it often so it doesn’t stick.
Gradually add your vegetable stock when your risotto threatens to stick. Continue with this process for ten minutes, then add your prawns, chilli powder, peas, spinach and the zest of your lemon reserving the juice for the end.
When the rice is just soft and your prawns are pink and juicy (should be another 5-10 mins) remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, lemon juice and butter. Adjust your seasoning, add good grind of black pepper but taste carefully before adding too much salt (the prawns, cheese, butter and stock might make your risotto salty enough already).
To serve, spoon the thick oozy risotto into shallow bowls and scatter over your rocket leaves. Sprinkle on the last of your parmesan and enjoy.